In comments to the Scottish press over the Christmas holiday, Celtic FC manager Ange Postecoglou gave Cameron Carter-Vickers and American fans alike a welcomed present, confirming attempts to permanently lock in the defender.
Ever since arriving in Celtic Park during the summer transfer window on a season-long loan, the Tottenham-owned central defender has flourished in the Scottish Premiership.
He immediately became an immediate starter under Postecoglou, and his consistently strong performances have led him to be considered one of the top defenders in Scotland, raising the question of whether the legendary team would seek to lock him down permanently.
With his long-term contract with parent team Tottenham set to end in summer 2023, the American even admitted earlier that he would be open to a longer stay, however up to now the team remained silent on whether they were willing to act on it.
In statements first reported by Edinburgh-based news outlet The Scotsman, Celtic coach Postecoglou clarified the situation, indicating that a permanent stay has always been in the plans.
“Absolutely, I want to keep him. I wouldn’t have brought him in if I thought it was just a short-term thing,” the Australian coach confirmed to the media. “He has become an important part of our team and that’s why I was so keen to bring him in.”
The loan move to the Glasgow-based team, which was confirmed in the final hours of the summer transfer window, came from seemingly out of nowhwere to surprise the media and fans alike. Postecoglou confirmed that the last-minute nature of the move also put a strain on Celtic, who were actually keen to already try to arrange a permanent transfer when Tottenham first made their offer in August.
“It was close because there were a few moving parts,” he said. “There were some players we needed to move on at the time,” he explained, in regards to the chaotic nature of the final days before the door slammed shut on player moves.
“We didn’t have the time to do anything else. Like I said, it was really late in the piece and the logical thing for all parties was to do a loan or we wouldn’t have got the deal done.”
“Thankfully for us we were able to get Cameron over the line at the last minute.”
With the league hitting its overall halfway point, and nearly two-thirds of the way through its initial round-robin phase Celtic are in second-place in the Scottish Premiership, however nipping at the heels of their blood rivals Rangers heading into the winter break.
